Finding the One
by Glorytommy
Summary: When Haruka finally chooses who she wants to fall in love with. The rest of STARISH are left broken hearted. Can someone help them pick up the pieces? Or will negative feelings lead to the disbandment of the group? Caution: OOCs Ahead.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N__: There are a few things that you should probably know before we begin. I've never played the game, so I will be going off of the wiki and both anime series. Also, while I love these characters, I am not completely thrilled with all the cliché moments. Don't get me wrong, I love a good cliché... but there are A LOT more than there needs to be, you know? I'm not going to change the characters much, or anything, but I'm going to try and make my scenarios a bit more believable. I hope I'm making sense... Anyway, enjoy my first UTA Fic!_

_Oh, and as a warning, the storyline is not chronological so it will be skipping around. I won't make it too confusing, but I figured I'd let you know._

_Our story doesn't start at year one, but chronologically it would._

_Year One is the year right after they win the Uta Pri Award. January is always the beginning of a year and December is the end of it._

_Pay attention to the year and month I label a chapter to understand the order of events._

_Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer****: I do not own this series, if I did, not **_**everyone**_** would be pinning over the same girl.**

* * *

**Finding the One | Chapter 1 | Hayashi, Fumiko**

_Year Four - June_

"A picture is enough, grandfather. This is not necessary," a displeased Masato explained, the corners of his mouth turning downward despite the fight to keep his emotions off his face.

"Nonsense," his grandfather chuckled. "That is the same thing you said seven Miais ago. Your father is getting restless. We are doing things my way now."

Shifting in his seat, Masato sighed and glanced out the car window. Though the old man's voice was jovial, he could sense the seriousness in his words. There would be no convincing him otherwise now that his mind was set.

"Stealing a look before meeting her will be a good thing. You'll be able to see what she is like normally, without the awkward tension of a Miai. It was a common practice years ago." He smiled fondly. "It's how I chose your grandmother."

"I am aware," the younger man sighed. His grandfather seemed to find it necessary to remind him of this fact every time the topic came up. "However, in modern times, this would be mistaken for... stalking," Masato pointed out, barely containing his discomfort.

He did not want to be mistaken for a suspicion person.

"Then don't get caught," his grandfather stated simply, and shifted through the folder on his lap. "Isn't that part of the thrill?"

Masato chose not to answer, instead tuning him out to pay more attention to the scenery fly by as the limo sped down the road. He didn't see how driving up in a flashy car would help with "not getting caught". It would only attract attention to him, and make it harder to keep a low profile.

Absently, a hand reached up to play with a strand of black hair.-A part of his disguise. As the successor to the Hijirikawa group and member of a popular boy band, there was no way that he could do any type of recon dressed as his normal self. The guise was his grandfather's solution to what he deemed a simple problem.

Masato, however, saw nothing simple about it.

"Hayashi, Fumiko..." His grandfather mused, pulling out the photo of the current marriage partner candidate. "Second born of the head to the Hayashi Group. She's a real beauty, isn't she?"

Much to Masato's relief, the car stopped in an alley next to a community center. It wasn't necessarily the place he expected the daughter of a wealthy family would spend her time.

"Hayashi-san has managed to keep his daughter out of the public eye so that she can live humbly until her marriage partner is decided. The Hayashi Group donates to this place, so her father doesn't mind her spending her time here. If our sources are correct, not many people know exactly who she is."

"I see," he replied, eyeing the building.

Stepping out of the limo, Masato quickly pocketed the photo his grandfather insisted he'd keep and watched with slight dejection as the car backed out in the same direction it had entered from.

His grandfather had given him an hour to observe Fumiko. Masato felt it was far too long a time, but his complaint fell on deaf ears. Much to his dismay.

Exhaling, Masato slid on a pair of round framed glasses to complete the image of an "average citizen". He didn't see how a wig and eyewear was much of a disguise... but as he walked towards the front entrance he found that no one moved to crowd around him as of yet.

His shoulder slumped slightly at this observation, releasing the tension in his shoulders he hadn't known he'd felt. STARISH fans could be a bit ruthless and he'd have no way to escape if they caught him.

Making it inside the community center was much easier than it would have been in normal conditions. It was refreshing. As was the interior of the building. It was cleaner, and more put together than what was normal for a community hot spot, which was easy to assume was the work of the Hayashi Group.

Scanning the people loitering the lobby, Masato pressed his hands closer to his sides-a subtle nervous tick of his. Fumiko was not among any of the clusters of people which gave him mixed feelings.

This increased the chance that he would spot her before she spotted him, but it also meant he would have to find her first. The center had three floors and his grandfather hadn't given him any clue as to where he should look.

Heading down the hall closest to him, Masato glanced discreetly into the rooms as he passed them. From what he could see, the center seemed to cater to all types of hobbies, including dance, swimming, and basketball.

He caught no sight of Fumiko though.

Ten minutes in and Masato was starting to feel ridiculous. He wasn't in a rush to get married. It was his father who insisted that he find someone, and had used the threat of making him quit STARISH to make him agree.

While the fact that he would have to leave STARISH was inevitable, he wanted to delay it as much as possible. Being an idol was something that he loved to do, but he knew he had responsibilities as the Hijirikawa heir. Finding a wife was one of them.

However, all of the women that his father had chosen for his Miais where only chosen based on beauty and status. Masato's own values for a life partner weren't that shallow, and so far the ladies he'd met were only looking to climb the social ladder, not find someone who they would be happy with.

He paused in his steps as Haruka's face flashed into his mind. Frowning, he shook his head. Truth be told, some of the women weren't nearly that bad, but he unconsciously found himself comparing them to the girl he'd let slip through his fingers.

Two years later and he still felt the effects of not being the one she'd chosen. He wasn't like Ren, who a month later dived into the dating world, or like Natsuki, who supported Haruka wholeheartedly despite his feelings. She had been one of the key elements that had led him to become an idol in the first place. It didn't help that he saw her often either.

He wouldn't have it any other way, though. He loved singing her music.

He was sure it was the same for the others too.

Moving to the side, Masato stayed out of the way as a pair of children ran down the hall, snapping him out of his thoughts. Feeling that he had dwelt too long on Haruka, he took the back door that led out to the garden to clear his head.

Turning the corner, he halted, spotting Hayashi, Fumiko a few feet away speaking with a teary eyed young girl. Acting on both shock and instinct, he pressed himself against the wall of the building. Luckily managing to go unnoticed.

The young girl sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "...and, and then they pushed me down!" He caught her say, feeling slightly uncomfortable eavesdropping.

Fumiko sat on the ground beside the girl, her brown eyes surveying her carefully. "Tiga... It's alright," she spoke softly, almost too quiet for him to hear. "Don't cry"

When the girl didn't stop, the woman bit her lip in contemplation. It was unclear of what her next course of action would be, until moments later when she opened her mouth and began to sing.

It started out light and soft, but grew rich and strong, silencing Tiga's tears before the first verse ended. Astonished, Masato turned away, pressing his back against the wall. Her song easing his muttled mind.

It was sweet and gentle, and he lost himself in the words.


	2. Chapter 2

**Finding the One | Chapter 2 | Sato, Kaori**

_Year 3 - January_

Yawning, Otoya raised his hands above his head to stretch his tired limps, the screaming fans being heard even with the door to the dressing room closed. Adrenaline still rushing through his system, he smiled. He didn't think he'd ever get used to all the attention that came with being in STARISH. From orphan boy to teen heartthrob... It was still so unreal.

"The audience was crazy hyped tonight," Syo commented, collapsing down on a love seat with a sigh, fist hitting the knot in his shoulder. The blond was already looking a bit sore.

"That's an understatement... I distinctly remember undergarments being thrown..." Natsuki added, looking quite exhausted himself. "When did women get so bold?"

"That's what happens when you have three boy bands sharing the same stage-" Tokiya stated matted of factly before cutting himself off as a hand shot out to catch Haruka, who nearly tripped over a rug.

Otoya watched a bit guiltily as both of their faces flushed from the contact. Four months of "officially" dating and they were still awkward around each other. While it was in Haruka's personality to get flustered, the fact that everyone else was around probably aided in their discomfort. After all, most of the men in the room had been pinning after the girl at one point or another.

The scene bothered him, but not for the same reasons it did a few months ago. He still loved Haruka, but had long since decided to play the role of older brother. She had made her choice, and Tokiya was good for her. Even if the guy was a little intimidating. He had told himself that if they were happy he was happy, and to an extent, it was true.

As the room became filled with random conversation, Otoya slipped out of the room when the attention was turned to Natsuki teasing Syo about a gift a fan had sent a while back. There was nowhere in particular he wanted to go, but wandering had become a bit of a hobby of his. He found walking aimlessly with nothing particular on his mind to be relaxing.

Nodding at a few stage hands as they passed by, he strolled over to a less busier part of backstage. Though clean up was considerably more chill than the morning set up of a concert, it was still a bit chaotic with people rushing to get their work done and head home to family. Not wanting to get in anyone's way, he sat himself down on a large pile of mats that didn't look like they would be moved for a while, if at all.

With his adrenaline running out, Otoya was starting to feel the effects of performing a full concert and two encores. With STARISH playing with both HEAVENS and Quartet Night, the fans hadn't wanted the show to end.

Closing his eyes, and leaning against the wall behind him, he wondered what time it was. With all the singing and dancing they'd done, it wouldn't be a surprise if it was already two in the morning. It was no wonder he was beginning to feel sore.

"You look pretty beat," a feminine voice observed beside him as something cold was pressed against his face.

Startled, he flinched, his eyes snapping open to look up at the woman. It took him a moment, but his brain eventually recognized her as one of the back up dancers.

She smiled down at him, strands of her light brown bob falling in her face. "I saw you here and figured you could use this. Studies show milk helps your muscles after a work out," she explained sweetly, shaking the small carton of chocolate milk she had pressed against his face. "Sorry if I startled you."

Shaking himself from his stupor, he returned her smile with one of his own. "Ah-no, you're fine," Otoya assured her, taking the box and moving over so she could sit beside him. "Thank you."

She brushed off the comment with a wave of her hand. "Nah, it's nothing. I just happened to have an extra to share," she told him, sticking a straw into her own carton. He mirrored her action. "I'm Kaori, by the way. Sato, Kaori."

"Nice to meet you Kaori-san," he grinned taking a sip from his milk.

She matched his grin, her green eyes staring at him contently before turning away to watch as the occasional stage hand passed by. "I hope I didn't ruin any alone time, I know you must be tired after a concert like that."

Otoya chuckled, rolling the cold drink between his hands. "I don't mind the company," he told her, pausing to take another sip. It had been a while since he'd had chocolate milk, of all things. Drinking it now, he felt a little bit like a kid again. While they didn't have it often, back when he lived at the orphanage, there was always a kind of excitement whenever they were given some. "Though, I thought all the dancers had gone home?" He questioned curiously.

Kaori smiled a little mischievously, almost like a child who'd been caught staying up past their bedtime. "They did," she confirmed, doing a terrible job at trying to keep a straight face, "but I stayed behind to help with the clean up. My cousin is a stage hand and asked me for a favor. I'm on break right now."

"I see," he nodded, following her gaze to the far wall. "That was nice of you. I'm sure you're pretty tired too though. Don't strain yourself."

She giggled, "You sound like my cousin. I would still be moving things if she hadn't made me rest."

"Well, she knows what she's talking about."

"Yeah, so they say," she tilted her head. "I don't mind helping out though . Part of the reason the concert was a success is because of these guys behind the scenes. It only feels right to help out. If they hadn't asked I would have still offered."

Otoya regarded her with a intrigued glance from the corner of his eye. It was the first he'd heard a performer say something like that, and he found that it made a lot of sense. While he and the other idols did a lot of work and were what people came to see, the hands behind the stage were what made everything amazing. Half the things they operated were stuff he didn't know how to use. Without them, the concerts would never be nearly as impressive as they were.

It was kind of refreshing to think of things like that. Sure, he had always appreciated their work, but helping out hadn't really crossed his mind. He liked the way this girl thought, she was interesting.

Drinking the rest of his milk, Otoya stood up and offered her a hand. "If you put it like that, then I have no choice but to offer my help too."

She raised a brow at him as he helped her to her feet. "Really?"

"Of course."

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you're interested so far! The first couple of chapters shall be the meetings, but after that we'll get really deep into character developments and relationship building 33 Should be fun!

Also, don't be afraid to leave reviews about your thoughts. What you liked, what you didn't like, what would be cool to see, etc. I love hearing people's thoughts, and who knows? Maybe it'll influence how the story goes!


End file.
